TAG Chapter 18

Shu Ai gathered more than a hundred people for Zou Yidao to mobilize. He divided them into seven or eight teams and sent them in batches to help him with missions.

Meanwhile, Qiao Jingting took Shu Ai to kill the “Battle Bulls,” splitting into two groups to prepare for their departure from the “Heart Moon Fox.”

The Battle Bulls were passive group attackers. Each one was worth 21 points. To quickly accumulate enough points to cleanse their divine marrow, they tirelessly killed the monsters, using healing scrolls whenever they felt tired. With their greatly improved strength and Qiao Jingting’s knowledge of the Battle Bulls’ attack patterns through the bug, they were efficient. However, the Battle Bulls were still group attackers, and they usually faced 7 to 8 of them at the same time, making the risk of injury quite high. As a result, their speed was far slower compared to the Shallow Water Crocodiles.

They killed continuously for 14 hours, each earning over 900 points. Qiao Jingting calculated that he earned much less than when he killed the Shallow Water Crocodiles. However, now the Shallow Water Crocodiles were worth only 3 points instead of the previous 12, so there was no better option for him.

After killing for so long, they leaned against a tree to rest, mechanically nibbling on meat buns.

Shu Ai sighed, “It’s not enough.”

“Yeah, not enough for what?”

“I want to choose a profession, but I haven’t accumulated enough points yet.”

“What profession do you want to choose?”

“Country’s Servant.” Shu Ai said without hesitation, “I’m more suited to be your support.”

“That’s great! Zou Ge said Country’s Servant is quite rare because it requires a large number of points to raise initially. But with a Country’s Servant as support, our combat power will increase significantly, and the death rate will decrease.” Qiao Jingting secretly hoped that Shu Ai would choose the Country’s Servant, but he didn’t want to influence her decision, so he didn’t bring it up. Shu Ai had a natural aversion to killing, making the support role very suitable for her.

Shu Ai nodded firmly, “If we work together, there is a chance for us to survive and eventually make it out of here.”

“How many points do you have now?”

“A little over 4000.”

“You need 6000 for Country’s Servant, but that’s not too far off.”

“But the skills for Country’s Servant also need points to exchange.” Shu Ai didn’t sound too relaxed, “Zou Ge said the two professions that consume the most points are Poison Master and Country’s Servant. The former needs to raise poisons, and the latter needs to cultivate skills.”

“It’s okay; we’ll keep bringing you to kill monsters.” Qiao Jingting stuffed a few buns into his mouth, then greedily grabbed another one.

“What about you? Have you decided on your profession?” Shu Ai asked.

Qiao Jingting grinned, “If I’m going to choose, I’ll choose the best.” He felt quite satisfied when he saw Han Bin’s abilities that day.

Shu Ai smiled, “That’s just your personality.”

After finishing their meal, they rested for a while before starting to kill monsters again. Qiao Jingting decided to help Shu Ai accumulate 6000 points first, so he let her deal the final blow to the monsters.

For three consecutive days, they hardly rested at all. Finally, Zou Yidao accumulated enough points to unlock the Star Day Ma map, and Shu Ai also gathered enough points to choose the Country’s Servant profession.

When it was time for Shu Ai to cleanse her divine marrow, Qiao Jingting entered the void space to practice his halberd skills. He spent one hour inside, which was equivalent to several days outside, so his skills improved every day. However, since he couldn’t feel the weight in the void space, he still had to practice his power and other techniques outside. With this combined approach, he had plenty of extra time to improve himself.

Feeling bored with practicing, he went back to kill the Battle Bulls. After a few days, he had accumulated 5322 points.

After half a day, Shu Ai successfully cleansed her divine marrow.

Both of them looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to share the results.

Shu Ai’s face was somewhat pale, and she seemed like she could faint at any moment.

Qiao Jingting worriedly asked, “What happened? Did you fail?”

Shu Ai shook her head, “No, it’s just…”

Zou Yidao interjected, “The first half of cleansing the divine marrow is particularly comfortable, but the second half is excruciatingly painful.” He patted Shu Ai’s shoulder, “It’s all over now, congratulations.”

Shu Ai gave a bitter smile, “I heard people say it would hurt, but I saw Bai Yue react with no expression at all. I didn’t expect it to be so painful.”

“The pain of cleansing the divine marrow is nothing compared to the suffering Bai Yue has endured from childhood to now. To become Bai Youming, he had to go through inhumane training from a young age,” Zou Yidao laughed, “It’s just a small price to pay.”

Qiao Jingting recalled Bai Yue’s figure as he left with the black umbrella. His young shoulders bore an unimaginable past.

Sitting on the sofa, Shu Ai took a deep breath, and a faint red light appeared on her palms. Then, two orbs of light emerged and entered both of their bodies.

Qiao Jingting glanced at his six enhanced attributes, which had all temporarily increased by 37 points. He also noticed a countdown timer of 15 minutes, indicating that the blessing buff would only last for 15 minutes.

Both of them were pleasantly surprised, and Shu Ai’s face was glowing with happiness. “This is the most basic level. In the future, my blessing ability and duration will increase. My healing ability will also improve, and there are many new skills, such as Travel, Communication, and Summoning.”

Qiao Jingting was naturally satisfied and eager to try out his new skills. “Let’s go and test them. Zou Ge, do you want to come and see?”

Zou Yidao waved his hand, half-closed his eyes, and lazily slouched on the sofa, “Let me enjoy the last good time.”

Zou Yidao didn’t have any points from killing monsters in the Newbie Village, so naturally, he was not willing to move. However, Qiao Jingting and Shu Ai were in high spirits. They used a travel scroll to teleport to the Battle Bulls’ location.

Shu Ai was somewhat nervous and took a deep breath. A faint red light appeared on her palms, and then two orbs of light emerged, entering both of their bodies.

Qiao Jingting glanced at his six enhanced attributes, all of which had temporarily increased by varying amounts, and he also noticed a countdown timer of 15 minutes. This blessing buff would only last for 15 minutes.

Both of them were pleasantly surprised, and Shu Ai’s face was glowing with happiness. “This is the most basic level. In the future, my blessing ability and duration will increase. My healing ability will also improve, and there are many new skills, such as Travel, Communication, and Summoning.”

Qiao Jingting was naturally satisfied and eager to try out his new skills. “Let’s go and test them. Zou Ge, do you want to come and see?”

Zou Yidao waved his hand, half-closed his eyes, and lazily slouched on the sofa, “Let me enjoy the last good time.”

Zou Yidao didn’t have any points from killing monsters in the Newbie Village, so naturally, he was not willing to move. However, Qiao Jingting and Shu Ai were in high spirits. They used a travel scroll to teleport to the Battle Bulls’ location.

After killing for almost a day, Shu Ai had to leave the Newbie Village.

Returning to Heart Moon Fox, they found Zou Yidao heavily intoxicated. Qiao Jingting kicked him awake, “Let’s go, Zou Ge.”

Zou Yidao mumbled while getting up, “Returning from a spree.”

“Spree my ass, I’m exhausted,” Qiao Jingting was so tired that his eyes were struggling to stay open, but he was only over 1000 points away from cleansing his divine marrow and choosing a profession. He would endure the exhaustion.

“We should leave now,” Shu Ai glanced around the house where she had lived for over a year, her eyes filled with many emotions.

Once they left, unless something unexpected happened, they wouldn’t be coming back.

Qiao Jingting also felt a bit sentimental at the moment, but his desire to break free from this cage was even more urgent.

“Let’s go,” Zou Yidao left the house without any reluctance.

Shu Ai was the last to leave. She closed the door silently, held onto the doorknob for a moment, then turned around with a determined look, “Let’s go.”

The three of them arrived at the foot of the Life Tree.

Qiao Jingting opened the Demon Suppression List and looked at Qiao Rui Du. He was still at another Newbie Village, Muyue Wu. After entering the game for so long, he would be the first to leave.

Many people in the Newbie Village knew they were leaving and were watching from a distance. Some people’s eyes were filled with gratitude, but they didn’t dare to approach.

Qiao Jingting raised his hand and was about to touch the Life Tree, but he hesitated. He turned to those players who were looking up to them and said slowly, “If one Han Bin died, maybe another Han Bin will appear. I hope you remember that no matter what circumstances you face, never give up resisting.”

Since the day he entered the Newbie Village, he had been resisting without pause—resisting the evildoers, resisting the powerful, resisting this damn game. He was determined to live his life to the fullest and die on his own terms. No one could make him surrender.

As his hand touched the Life Tree, every event that had happened since he was reborn in the game unfolded before his eyes like a long scroll. He closed his eyes and silently chanted, “Open the map of Star Sun Horse.”

In an instant, time and space twisted.

When Qiao Jingting opened his eyes, he found himself in a bustling marketplace center. As he looked up, a towering tree shaded the surroundings. Radiating from the center tree was a beachside town with a serene and tranquil atmosphere, the town adorned with numerous shops and stalls, bustling with players and NPCs.

A hand patted his shoulder, and he turned to see Zou Yidao smiling at him, while Shu Ai stood nearby.

“This is Star Sun Horse,” Qiao Jingting felt like a country bumpkin entering a city, everything seemed so fresh and new. Heart Moon Fox was a picturesque pastoral village, elegant and pleasant, while Star Sun Horse was much more lively, with even a hint of sea breeze carrying a slight salty scent, making people feel refreshed. However, it was a bit too hot here, and he was already sweating after standing for a while.

“Yep, not bad at all. Among the four free markets, this one is my favorite,” Zou Yidao grinned. “Do you know why?”

“Why?” Qiao Jingting asked.

“Because there are spicy girls at the seaside, hahaha,” Zou Yidao laughed to himself.

Qiao Jingting pushed him, “The style here is so different from Heart Moon Fox. Are there significant differences between the other maps as well?”

“Of course, in this game, there are four continents. East Azure Dragon Continent is pastoral forests, West White Tiger Continent is highland deserts, South Vermilion Bird Continent is coastal islands, and North Xuanwu Continent is snowy mountains and frozen soil,” Zou Yidao pointed around, “Among the four free markets, Star Sun Horse and Fang Ri Tu Ren have the most people, while the other two are less comfortable.”

“Oh, this place is nice.” Qiao Jingting thought of Qiao Rui Du, that grandson being stuck in the desert for so long, and he felt more at ease in his heart.

“Let’s go find Bai Yue.”

“Let’s find a place to stay first,” Zou Yidao said, “Let’s find an inn.”

“Can’t we rent a house here?”

“We can, but it’s expensive,” Zou Yidao replied straightforwardly, “The free markets have limited housing, and space is valuable. Many of them are occupied by larger guilds.”

Shu Ai couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “I never thought I couldn’t afford a house even in the game.”

“An inn is fine too. The ordinary ones are 10 points per night, and if you can’t afford that, you can buy a sleeping bag and sleep anywhere,” Zou Yidao pointed to the scattered stalls, “You see, those who can’t afford a shop just set up stalls on the roadside and can still sell things.”

Curious, Qiao Jingting walked to a stall, which only had a few items. He picked up a pair of short boots.

The person manning the stall lazily glanced at Qiao Jingting, “It can add 5 points of speed. Want it?”

Qiao Jingting checked the person’s level, Level 7, and asked, “How much?”

“220 in the system, 180 here.”

Zou Yidao pulled him away, “Why are you buying random stuff.”

The three of them found an inn to stay.

Zou Yidao lectured Qiao Jingting, “Those who set up stalls just for a few points of price difference probably won’t have anything good. If you really want to choose equipment, you can check the city’s trading system. The registered items there are of better quality and priced a bit higher. You should start from the expensive ones and work your way down, and those are the ones worth buying.”

Qiao Jingting became interested, “That sounds fun. Didn’t you say we should change our equipment? I’ll go take a look later.”

“Your priority now is to cleanse your divine marrow; you can worry about equipment later.”

Suddenly, Shu Ai asked, “Why isn’t Bai Yue in Star Sun Horse?”

“What?” Qiao Jingting opened the Demon Suppression List, searched for Bai Yue, and noticed that there was no city symbol next to Bai Yue’s name. He then searched for the cities, and there were over five hundred people in Star Sun Horse, but Bai Yue’s name was not among them.

Zou Yidao shrugged, “People from the Bai family disdain cooperating with others. Let him leave if he wants.”

Qiao Jingting frowned, “That doesn’t seem right. I didn’t force him to stay back then. He could have just left without mentioning cooperation.”

“Maybe he changed his mind at the last moment,” Zou Yidao sighed with some regret. “Although he was a good helper, you can’t trust Bai Youming easily.”

Shu Ai also felt a bit disappointed.

“I still feel something is not right,” Qiao Jingting couldn’t shake the feeling that Bai Yue wasn’t the type of person to break his word. Even if he didn’t want to cooperate with them, he should have at least said it openly. Disappearing without a word just didn’t make sense.

“Anyway, we can’t find him right now. Let’s have a meal and then go to the nearest monster point to earn points,” Zou Yidao stretched his muscles, “I don’t even have 1 point left. I’ve been running around naked for half a month, and it’s been tough!”

Suddenly, Shu Ai took out three phones, “I used the remaining points to buy phones, let’s each carry one.” Newbie Village is isolated from other cities, so it’s impossible to contact people outside Newbie Village. However, once they leave the Newbie Village, the signal between the four continents is interconnected.

The three of them exchanged numbers.

After eating, Zou Yidao led the group to the Life Tree where some people had gathered.

As they walked past, someone called out, “Hey, here’s a Swordmaster. Want to team up?”

“To kill what?” Zou Yidao asked.

“Giant Wasps.”

“Nah, my two friends here are low-level. Do you want to go, Qiao Jingting?”

The people hesitated for a moment, “Okay.”

Qiao Jingting saw a dialogue box asking if he wanted to join the team and chose “confirm.”

Once the system temporarily formed a team, team members couldn’t attack each other, preventing people from stabbing each other in the back while killing monsters.

The seven-member team headed out of the city. The distance to the Giant Wasp’s location was only three kilometers from the town, and even the lowest level here was level 6. Their running speed was already 3 to 5 times that of an ordinary person, so they covered that distance in no time.

Giant Wasps were creatures that looked like a mix between a bull and a horse, with a majestic appearance. Qiao Jingting and Shu Ai could earn 50 points for killing one, while Zou Yidao could earn 20 points.

There was more than one team trying to farm Giant Wasps, but luckily, there were plenty of them, and there was no competition between teams. Zou Yidao mentioned that these monster points near the city were within the agreed-upon areas where killing each other was prohibited, making them relatively safe. After all, for free players not affiliated with any guild, the monster points around the four free markets were their main source of points. Everyone preferred to maintain this rule.

However, once the killing began, Qiao Jingting found that it wasn’t that safe here either because the Giant Wasps were incredibly ferocious.

Fast, strong, and aggressive, the two horns on their heads could easily puncture a person’s abdomen. Without understanding their attack patterns, they could only endure. Qiao Jingting was sure that a single Giant Wasp was more formidable than a Zheng Wei, and the Giant Wasps were passive AOE monsters, attacking in groups.

Qiao Jingting and Shu Ai found it challenging to handle them. Shu Ai, as the only Swordsman in the team, primarily focused on providing blessings and healing. Being a young girl, nobody expected her to engage in combat. However, Qiao Jingting was different. His level wasn’t high, especially without the Divine Marrow cleansing. He could barely keep up with the pace of others, and he was being pushed to an embarrassing situation by the Giant Wasps.

The main force here was Zou Yidao. With the highest level, he easily slaughtered the group of Giant Wasps barehanded, while others were mostly Superbodies and Variants, showing that earning points wasn’t easy.

After killing for an afternoon, Qiao Jingting was shocked to find that he had only earned 276 points, as each Giant Wasp’s points had to be divided among seven people, and higher-level players received fewer points. He already had more than others.

During their rest, Qiao Jingting’s expression was a bit unsightly.

Zou Yidao said in a low voice, “Now you know how hard it is to earn points. If you hadn’t discovered that bug, how could you have so many points? Some people work desperately to accumulate enough points to choose low-point professions.”

Qiao Jingting scratched his head, “This won’t work; it’s too slow.” He couldn’t stand earning points at this rate.

Shu Ai comforted him, “Don’t worry; let’s first get familiar with the outside world.”

“It is a bit slow. It was better with the Giant Wasps. You guys insisted on coming here,” the team leader complained. “A few days ago, we were killing Giant Wasps with that kid Bai Youming with albinism, and we’d earn a whole”

“Bai Yue,” Qiao Jingting interrupted him. “Bai Yue, 17 years old.”

“Yeah, do you guys know him?”

“Where is he? Why isn’t he in Star Sun Horse?”

The captain shrugged, “He killed an 8th-level player from the Summit and is now being chased by them, so he naturally had to leave.”

Finally, they left Newbie Village!

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